Royal pageantry on display

Anne Stokes / The TelegraphPerformers with the Bella Donna Venetian Courtesans group, of the Bay Area, entertain guests with music and witty repartee. From left they are Trystan Bass, Sarah Goodman, Kendra Van Cleave and Linda Wenzelburger.

Anne Stokes / The TelegraphKim Yasuda, of Sacramento, juggles for the amusement of fair-goers.

Ships, knights, royalty and performers were on full display over the weekend as Folsom City Lions Park was converted into a Renaissance-era festival. Scores of guests enjoyed mild weather and Elizabethan entertainment, complete with jousting matches, a parade led by Queen Elizabeth herself, and a multitude of other costumed performers representing their respective guilds and classes. Guests also enjoyed shopping at more than 100 vendors that hawked everything from clothing and jewelry to leatherwork and historic weapons.
Sir Thomas Gresham (aka Thomas Gardener of Sacramento) of the Guild of St. George said he “looks forward each year to bring magic to those in Folsom and the surrounding communities, for they so sorely need it, in these days and times.”
Kim Alvarez, of Gold River, brought her family to enjoy the fair with a purpose.
“We are home-schoolers and we’ve been studying medieval history,” Alvarez said. “We found out about the fair and have been studying about the period, and the daily lives, the people during the times, so we thought this would be a great way for the kids to really experience the history.”
Vonnie Galusha, of Folsom, usually travels to be a part of Renaissance fairs, but she was able to stay closer to home this time. “It’s very child-friendly, mostly period appropriate so every actor who’s here is aware that this is a family-run fair and we try to keep everything within the bounds of family-friendly and make this a wonderful thing for the children to explore and to enjoy and add to their education experience.”